Sleep
by ficsofez
Summary: :Gaara:OC: drabble collection He wanted sleep, but he was afraid of it.
1. Unapproachable

**Sleep  
**

**1] Unapproachable**

When she first met him, he was unapproachable, and not just because he would kill anyone who got too close. Her parents would get in the way, avoiding her questions about him, sending her off to play with some other friend. But once, as she ran off half-reluctantly, she glanced behind her and saw them whispering and casting fearful glances at the boy, who sat completely alone on the swing set, clutching the arm of a small, equally lonely teddy bear with one hand. A steady flow of water dripped down the side of his face, leaking from sleep-deprived eyes.

He was crying.

Stunned, she almost tripped, but regained her balance and kept running.

She wasn't running to anyone (anyone she knew), or from anyone (definitely not from him), but she made up her mind that, one way or another, in a day or in a decade, she would get to him, and they would be friends.


	2. Reach

**Sleep**

**2] Overcome**

She wasn't able to get to him. No matter how much she tried, getting past the barrier of her parents proved increasingly difficult (well, they were Chuunins for a reason, but still). And then, over half a decade later, she finally broke past the restrictions.

They were both twelve. He had returned from the Chuunin Exam cut and bruised -- a surprise in and of itself. When she saw him, she was so stunned that she stopped dead and stared, her eyes wide. He seemed to sense her presence and, in two seconds, she was surrounded by sand.

She felt a twinge of fear of death, not because she thought he'd accidentally kill her, but because she'd noticed that he tended to kill the people he didn't know, and some that he did. He could kill her before she could be friends with him. She'd seen the way all the villagers treated him, and she was angry about their behavior. They were stupid, stupid, stupid. It wasn't as though he had asked for the Shuukaku. That was the (deceased) Kazekage's decision. Stupid, stupid villagers. They had made him into what he was today. It wasn't his fault --

And then the sand vanished, and she saw his eyes.

"Gaara... sama?"


	3. Insomnia

**Sleep**

******3] Insomnia**

"So you... can't sleep? Ever?"

"If I tried, the Shuukaku would go berserk with my body. I might hurt people. I don't want that to happen," he replied quietly, his clear teal eyes inspecting the buildings around them, automatically looking for signs of danger, even in the assumed safety of the village. He was walking her home from the east entrance of the village, where she had gone to see him return from a B-rank mission.

"You wouldn't have minded before." She was startlingly blunt when she said that, and he frowned at her, puzzled, until she elaborated. "Why didn't it happen? Were you afraid of the Shuukaku? Or afraid of your father?" She stopped herself and shook her head. "I apologize, Gaara-sama. I shouldn't have asked. In any case, you've changed, and you don't want to hurt anyone anymore, and that's all that matters."

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**A/N:**

I swear, this and the next two or three installments used to be part of the same chapter before I decided it was too long and split it. I really dunno how it happened, but it happened =/

Enjoy =)

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**Review Corner:**

to fishgirlclw (Fishy): Yay, Gaara! 8D

to Wolf's Girl Mika-chan (Mika, for future ref): Um, I'll try...? I'm bad with updating, but at least i have the next five chapter mapped out ^^;

to Mika again (for chapter 2 =3): Short is kinda the point of a collection, although 11 seems to be extending itself =/ Enjoy the drabbly goodness =D

to chitana: Different is good, cute is good =)


	4. Strength

**Sleep**

**4] Strength**

He gazed at her pensively before shaking off lingering thoughts and walking ahead. She sped up a little until she was by his side and stayed there.

_This was what Naruto had_, Gaara thought._ This is what Naruto had and I didn't, and this is why Naruto is stronger than me._

He'd known that having friends made people stronger, but he hadn't known exactly why. It hadn't made sense to him. Now, with her walking by his side, he thought that he was closer, just a little bit, to knowing why.

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**A/N:**

continuation of 3] Insomnia.

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**Review Corner:**

no love for chapter three? GIZ ME REVIEWZEZ =W=


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